Microsoft on Thursday quietly closed down Bing Deals, a system that went through various re-builds over the last several years. The platform has now been replaced by Bing Offers. The new application mainly a local deals aggregator for the US market.
Bing Deals launched it 2011, and, according to Microsoft, the new platform is basically the next evolution for its deals strategy.
Speaking to TechCrunch , a Microsoft spokesperson revealed that the Bing Offers program is essentially the next version of Bing Deals.
The service appears to aggregate the web’s best offers with a focus on local buys. The program also providers users with international offers that may interest a larger audience of Microsoft product users.
According to Microsoft, Bing Offers will aggregate deals from “a broad set of partners, including many of the leading local deal providers.”
Which partners will become the focus of the platform have not yet been revealed. So far, offers from LivingSocial, Groupon, Spotted Fox, DoubleTakesDeals, and other smaller providers are beginning to appear via the service. Groupon deals are being delivered via Yipit.
Users have the choice to browse the site in general or focus in with categories such as food, activities, health, fitness, and more.
The platform is desktop, tablet, and mobile device compatible, and it features the newly delivered flat design that Microsoft uses for its Outlook.com and Office365 platforms.
The local and national deals space is rather crowded but Bing Offers with its focus on local deals aggregated across its massive platform might be on to something here.
Do you think Bing Offers can stand up against major players in the deals game?